A “congress of deputies of all levels” is scheduled for February 28 in Tiraspol. The so-called Transnistrian politicians do not hide the fact that the congress will be about appealing to Russia.
The leadership of the unrecognized separatist region in Moldova is allegedly dissatisfied with the recent economic decisions of the Moldovan government.
Transnistrian authorities to appeal to Russia on the Congress
The head of the so-called Transnistrian parliament, Alexander Korshunov, told reporters that the congress would address the whole world, not just Russia.
“The situation is complicated, and we need to appeal to all structures, including European ones,” he said, without specifying the nature of the appeal.
At the same time, the so-called deputy of the Transnistrian “parliament,” Vadim Kravchuk, said on a local TV channel that the purpose of the congress was to confirm that Tiraspol still wants to join Russia.
“There is no point in holding another referendum, but it is appropriate to confirm the previous decision. Back in 2006, Transnistria determined the vector (unification) with Russia, with the Eurasian Union. The congress of deputies of all levels will most likely confirm our intentions,” he stated.
Gennadiy Chorba, the so-called opposition politician, wrote on his Facebook page that the congress was scheduled for February 28, while Russian President Putin is to deliver an address to the Russian parliament on February 29.
According to Chorba, the congress “should voice a request on behalf of citizens living on the left bank of the Dniester to accept Transnistria into the Russian Federation, and on February 29, Putin will announce this in his address, and the Federal Assembly will decide to grant this request on an expedited basis.”
Moldova’s reaction
The Reintegration Office of the Moldovan government stated that it is monitoring the situation in Transnistria but currently sees no prerequisites for a deterioration in the region.
“The Office for Reintegration Policy is closely monitoring the situation in the Transnistrian region, being in constant contact with the OSCE mission and other international partners. According to the information we have, there is no reason to believe that the situation in the region may deteriorate,” the office said in a commentary.
Ukraine’s reaction
Ukraine’s Ambassador to Moldova, Marko Shevchenko, told Ukrinform that, according to his information, the issue of Transnistria’s accession to Russia is not currently on the agenda.
“I don’t see any great threat to the scenario that has so agitated our public. According to my information, this issue (the appeal of the so-called deputies of the unrecognized Transnistria to Russian President Vladimir Putin, ed.) is not on the agenda for now,” the diplomat stated.
According to him, the region could have appealed to Putin when the “DPR” and “LPR” did so in early 2022, but it refrained from doing so.
“Currently, both the situation on the front lines and the international situation are much less favorable for such a move. Therefore, I personally do not expect the current leaders of Transnistria to take such an ill-considered step,” the ambassador summarized.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu has recently suggested the possibility of Kremlin interference in the presidential elections scheduled for Chisinau in the fall of 2024.
